The present invention generally relates to patient lifts for transferring a person, such as a patient, from one location to another location, for example from a bed to a wheelchair.
Patient lifts are used to transfer persons having medical conditions that may make it demanding or exhausting for them to move without assistive help. When a caregiver assists such a person to move from one location to another, the caregiver is exposed to strain and stress. In an effort to reduce this stain and stress, patient lifts and numerous other devices have been developed to reduce the force for moving the person.
The conventional patient lift is one such device used to transfer a person from one location to another. The conventional patient lift is a stand-alone device that the caregiver rolls or moves into position near, for example, the bed or wheelchair supporting the patient. Once the conventional lift is in position, the caregiver couples the patient to the conventional patient lift, lifts the patient, and then rolls or moves the conventional lift along with the person to another location for transfer. This stand-alone conventional device is generally large and conspicuous, and does not store well within the existing environment. As a result, patients often express apprehension at the prospect of being transferred by a conventional patient lift. Bystanders also sometimes express concern over the patient being transferred by such a device.